Entries in London
(62)

THE CLASS that most enthralled me at university was one with this exact same title (minus the 'auction at Sotheby's' part, which, by the way, happened mid-December, when I started writing this post!), taught by brilliant professor Timothy Barringer.

It's no secret (at least not in the art world) that Yale has the biggest British art collection outside of Britain thanks to one seriously generous man named Paul Mellon, and we students were granted access to works of art by Turner, Whiteread, Rego and more because of Mellon's beneficence. [Check out the Yale Center for British Art for more info.]

I sort of thought I would grow up, professionally speaking, in the art world, working at an auction house or the like.

Apparently not the case.

But I can share with you lot a few arty nuggets time and again, particularly on subjects I know about.

This -- 20th century British art -- being one of them.

Even if you haven't the slightest inclination towards the arts, this group of Brit artists has been hugely influential in the world, whether it be through social commentary, breaking ground with new mediums or techniques or simply paving the way for future artists inspired by them.

From Vorticists (there's a great Vorticism exhibition on at Duke University at the moment if you find yourself in Raleigh-Durham, North Caronlina and the Cornell University Art Gallery had a great Bloomsbury Group exhibition recently too) to the natural leanings of the St. Ives group or the YBAs, you've been touched by the works of 20th century British artists (and get your mind out of the gutter right now... not in a naughty way).

Here's a list of my favourite artists from the collection on auction and resources to help you learn more about 20th century British art (early 20th century) if you fancy it. That said, I can't be arsed to add links so Google them!